Hank Williams was ahead of his time in more ways than his music. From his hardscrabble upbringing to his meteoric rise and drug-fueled self-immolation, he set the template for the tragic arc of a pop star. Yet the country pioneer's life and times -- and indeed his songs -- are almost beside the point in "The Last Ride."

Jill Farrow, the protagonist of Lisa Scottoline's new book "Come Home," is about to marry for the third time when her ex-stepdaughter suddenly turns up with the shocking news that Jill's ex has been murdered.